The Gnome Project released version 2.12 yesterday. We had a quick look at it by using the latest Gnome Live CD (1.12-pre) and Foresight 0.9.0 (2.12 final) and here are our thoughts over 2.12 and Gnome's status in general.

You are of course right that it isn't the end of the world, but not having a well functioning menu editor is one of these little things that will annoy people to no end.

Just take a look at about every Linux related support forum and the amount of questions that were asked after Gnome 2.10 dropped menu editing altogether. I'm sure you'll find thousands of questions about this, as you are going to find thousands again about not being able to add something to the menu.

And who cares about tools for power users? Power users can edit the .desktop file themselves if they have to, someone who is not a power user, but who simply wants to add a menu entry can't.

To sum it up, this is one of those little braindead decision gnome devs seem to like to make from time to time, probably to keep us from getting to enthusiastic about Gnome.

And I think you are overrestimating the importance of this. Deal? Why shall we keep running in circles, this is hardly different than the choice between Epiphany and Firefox. I like that GNOME caters to us lovers of simplicity by default. Distributions like Ubuntu can easily cater to a different user group. It is certainly possible for all of us to get along without calling each other braindead.

I like that GNOME caters to us lovers of simplicity by default. Distributions like Ubuntu can easily cater to a different user group.

The galling thing about this 'adding apps to menu vs no adding' argument is that it doesn't hurt you lovers of simplicity to have the functionality. So why argue against it? For those who do want to add menu entries it is an inconvience to not be able to do so no matter how much you say we don't need it.

And there may have never been a decision to make menu-editing "not a priority", but there was a decision made to not use SMEG which brings up the question that started this thread: why did they not just use SMEG which is already a simple, functional menu editor that also has the ability to add apps to the menu?

I just don't get people who will argue against having certain features when having them doesn't make anything worse. Just don't use the feature, but don't tell us that we don't need it.

"It is certainly possible for all of us to get along without calling each other braindead."

First off, it wasn't my intention to call you or others I disagree with braindead. So if I came off as doing this, I apologize.

"Why shall we keep running in circles, this is hardly different than the choice between Epiphany and Firefox.
I like that GNOME caters to us lovers of simplicity by default. Distributions like Ubuntu can easily cater to a different user group."

I have to disagree here. I really can't see how this is in anyway similar to the choice between epiphany and firefox and above all I don't think this is really a matter of complexity vs simplicity.
While having the ability to add menu items might add to the complexity of the menu editor, not being able to do so is certainly makes adding a menu item far more complex now than it should be.

Finally, my point is that I don't see any benefit from only giving the users a menu editor that lacks key functionality and again, if you don't belief me, just take a look at the thousands of questions you will find about this very issue. People want this, people need this and nothing is gained by not giving it to them.